I just received the June/July issue of Internet Genealogy. One of the first sections I go to in each issue is “Net Notes.” It’s a series of short pieces covering recent website activity that may be of interest to readers. The first entry describes some online releases from the Library and Archives Canada (LAC). I have a special interest in Canadian genealogy so I took a closer look — and came to an unexpected halt. One of the entries cites LAC’s release of a database consisting entirely of immigrants from the Ukraine (1890-1930) arriving in Canadian and American ports. I had just put together a list on Ukrainian genealogical resources for several patrons who needed help on this topic. This entry gave me another resource to add to my list that might help break down some of their brick walls. If it hadn’t been for this article, I might never have found this little gem.

Flipping through genealogy magazines can not only help to keep you up to date, but can unearth treasure you’d never find otherwise. Perhaps some of the following might help you. Do you have ancestors in the American colonies during the Revolution or in the United States during the War of 1812? The Canadian piece also includes references to databases on the War of 1812, and to the Book of Negroes (with 3,000 names of Black Loyalists who fled the Port of New York at the end of the Revolutionary War). It concludes with another database consisting of the recently digitized list of Loyalists and British Soldiers (for the period 1772-1784) from the Carleton Papers.

Other articles in this issue center around saving family stories. One describes what can be done with FamilySearch.org’s Memories section, which is devoted to researching and preserving family stories. Then there are related pieces, “Stellar Storytelling Apps” and “Recording Family Interviews with Audacity.”

British genealogy is represented with two articles. One lists seven websites relating specifically to the Victorian era. The second highlights three free UK websites run by volunteers.

The magazine rounds off with articles on “Researching the Great Depression,” “Supreme Court Cases and Your Family History,” and a review of Yale’s Photogrammar Project that digitizes photographs of the 1930s and 1940s and makes them available online. There are also the monthly features “The Back Page,” “Genealogical Society Announcements,” and additional short pieces in the Net Notes already mentioned.

Perhaps I now have you curious, but frustrated because you don’t subscribe to the magazine. Not to worry. The Newton Free Library does. Pay us a visit. You can find this and other genealogy magazines just to the right as you enter the Special Collections Room on the first floor. Take a few minutes to see what’s there. Here there be discoveries to be made, brick walls to be dismantled, and gold to be found.

Imagine having family and local history articles available online, at your finger tips.

I spotted this on several of my genealogy feeds. It’s a perfect way to spend a snowbound weekend (or to celebrate NOT getting snowed in). I’d like to share some thoughts about FindMyPast. Although FindMyPast is a British company that has been emphasizing British genealogy, it is now going aggressively into the U.S. market, looking to acquire materials that will attract Americans. It has established it’s American headquarters right next door to Newton in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

One of their impressive projects is connecting the PERSI Index to the actual articles cited and making it available online. PERSI stands for Periodicals Source Index and is considered to be the largest genealogy and local history periodicals index in the world. It covers a large number of American periodicals. The Allen County Public Library in Indiana has been doing this indexing project since 1986. The index covers articles published as far back as 1847. Note that I said index. If you wanted an article, you could contact ACPL and pay to have the article copied for you. You could also use your own local library’s Inter Library Loan Service to obtain a copy of an article of interest. FindMyPast is attempting to connect the index to the actual articles online. This is a copyright nightmare. They have to track down the owners of the copyright and then get permission to put it online — for every single article. This process becomes even more complicated when the periodical has gone out of business. How far have they gotten? You can find out for yourself free by checking it out over this free weekend.

So even if you don’t have British ancestry, you still want to check out this site and not just for the PERSI information cited above. I emailed FindMyPast last night to clarify some points and they answered by this morning. At this point in time they make available over 2 billion records globally. 850 million of those are U.S. records. Sounds like enough to keep us all busy over a snowy weekend! And the price is certainly right.

I am including additional material provided by FindMyPast below. It gives you a more detailed description of the range and types of records they offer.

From FindMyPast:

We’re delighted to announce that from 7am this Friday 22nd until 7am on Monday 25th (EST), our world records* will be available for anyone to view, completely free of charge.

… As well as millions of other records that will give everyone the opportunity to explore their family history, and bring their past to life.

We’re here to help you every step of the way. If you’re just getting going, make sure to take a look at our failsafe interview to mine your relatives for clues. You’ll be able to begin populating your tree, and start your hunt for more names to add to it.

If you’re new to exploring our collections you might find our guide to Birth, Marriage and Death records a useful starting point, as well as our new video guides, which offer useful tips on getting started with records, building a family tree, getting started with hints, and much more!

If you’re looking for a little inspiration, or are curious to see what other explorers have discovered in their past, take a look at our discoveries for some ….

Tracing your family history with Findmypast offers you the chance to discover things about the past which shaped who you are today. Start this weekend, and see where your tree takes you.

*Please note that access to the 1939 Register has not been included and pay as you go credits will be required in order to unlock household records. Terms and conditions apply.

This is the group that started as an English/Irish database a number of years ago. It is rapidly expanding to all geographical areas. It is FindMyPast that is working to link actual articles to the PERSI index. Their US headquarters is next door in Cambridge, MA. No matter where your ancestors came from, this is worth a look. If you have any English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh ancestors, this is a must see. Here is the link if you are curious: http://www.findmypast.com/freeweekend.

It’s a changing world out there and not always for the better. Have you ever noticed that new does not always mean improved? Just more complicated.

There used to be three reliable computer magazines that I often checked: Smart Computing (for beginners), PC World, and PC Magazine. The last two had a nice range of articles for every level, from beginners to experienced computer users. None now exist as either as hard copy or online magazines. If you own a Mac, however, you are in luck. Mac World still exists in a paper format.

If anyone reading this knows of a good, current computer magazine for beginners, or at least for non-techies, please let me know. It can be online or on paper.

USING WEBSITES

When looking at any website for the first time, you should always do three things.
1. Read the “About” section first.
2. Check for FAQs (frequently asked questions).
3. Look for tabs near the top of the home page that have a small v next to them. This denotes a down arrow that may or may not be filled in. Clicking on the arrow gives you a drop down menu. The selections offered will provide additional information.

Following these steps will keep you from wasting time on the wrong site and completely missing the perfect one.

I have found the websites that follow to be useful. Please read the descriptions accompanying each one. In them I give you additional tips for using the site and others like them.

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Computer Newbies Help (Forum)http://www.newbiesforum.com/phpbb3
This site is a forum. Forums are places where you can ask questions. Often these have people who work for the forum both doing the monitoring and answering queries. Other times questions are only answered by whoever happens to be visiting the site. You will find other forums on your own. You will discover which best meets your needs and who are the best responders. The nice thing about this particular forum is that is expressly designed for newbies. Computer Newbies Help does not have an “About” section, but it does have FAQ’s. Make sure you check your section of interest for the date of the latest posting. Some of these will be as up-to-date as today. One hasn’t been posted to since 2011.

Kim Komando (Radio) Show (Up-to-Date Tech News and Advice)http://www.komando.com
Kim’s radio show has been around for years. The website is definitely worth a close look. At first there appears to be no place to ask a question or to access a topic. Near the top you will see a line of tabs: The words “The Show”, “Read” and “Watch” each have that v (down arrow) I mentioned above. Here you will find information about the show, forums and topics. Kim’s radio show and the home page of her website help direct you to some of the current topics of interest. You may have to dig a bit to find your topic of interest.

eHow — the how to do just about anything sitehttp://www.ehow.com/ehow-tech
This is one of the first “how to” sites I ever used and it is always worth a visit. The people who use it are the ones who provide the How tos. The entries are usually well written and easy to follow. (Ignore the ads that usually appear in the middle of the instructions.) Make sure you check the date the instructions were posted. If you need information on how to do something in Windows 8.1 and the post is dated 2012, it’s going to be dealing with the wrong version of Windows.

Top 10 Safe Computing Tips from MIT (if you are not feeling quite so brave)https://ist.mit.edu/security/tips
MIT may sound a little scary to a neophyte. Don’t let it deter you. These are good, basic rules of the road and will help keep the information on your computer safe. Another entry that is not dated, however.

Windows Basics for All Topics (for Windows 7)http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-basics-all-topics#1TC=windows-7
Nicely set up by topic. When you pull up an article though, the print is on the small side. To make print larger on your computer screen, hold down the Ctrl key (usually on the lower left hand corner of your keyboard) and tap the + key (usually upper right). To make it smaller again, do the same only with the – key.

The next two sites are from the perspective of the person on the other side, the person who is trying to help you. Reading this may help you to figure out exactly what you need to ask and how you need to ask it.

Technology for Genealogy Interest Group – Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/techgen
Some things are worth getting a Facebook Account for and this is one of them. Not only do you get a lot of tips, but you can ask a question. The answers come from people who have already had and solved the same problem you are having.
I do have a tip about using a site like this. I have never completely trusted social networking, so I have never used my name as a sign in. I chose something relevant instead. I decided on several monikers I would wanted to use and then tried to match it to a gmail account. If you decide on one screen name for everything, people are likely to get to know you and recognize you by that. It may take you some extra time. But it’s worth it.

Don’t leave articles out of your research. Sometime they have just the nugget of information you need to break through a brick wall in your research. And it doesn’t have to be a genealogy magazine that has your information. You can look for likely suspects in your library’s online catalog for in house magazines. These are real magazines that you can hold in your hands. No devices. Titles such as American Ancestors and Internet Genealogy often have sections devoted to different aspects of research, including country research.

Then there are individual articles that you will find online. These you locate by searching various periodical databases. Many public libraries subscribe to groups of magazine databases such as those provided by Gale. If your library makes them available, you should be able to access them at home by signing in with your library card. On this type of search you can and should use very specific keywords. Remember, you are looking for articles, not entire magazines or books. Using too broad a term will swamp you with tons of articles that you would not need. You can check with a reference librarian at your local public library. Often there will be one with an interest in genealogy. You can ask this librarian if you find you need help.

If you want to start with a database that includes only articles relating to genealogy and family history, you can’t do better than Heritage Quest. This database is only offered to libraries, not individuals. If your public library, network, county or state library subscribes to Heritage Quest, you should be able to access it from home. Once you click onto it, you want to search the PERSI archive. It stands for Periodical Source index. It includes 2.5 million articles covering topics of genealogical and local history topics. Note the word “Index.” PERSI does not provide access to the article itself. However, if you want to see an article and your library does not own the issue of the magazine that published it, request it through you library’s Inter Library Loan (ILL) program. Sound familiar? I mentioned it above in the books posting. ILL is a key tool in your genealogical toolbox. It often will provide you with the article at no or minimum cost. Heritage Quest, on the other hand, refers you to the Allen County Public Library and charges $7.00 per article. That quickly adds up. To state the obvious, free is always better.

This should give you a good start if you want to investigate magazine articles.

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The Newton Genealogy Club

The Genealogy Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Special Collections Room of the Newton Free Library. Special Collections is on the first floor to your left as you are walking to the back of the library.

The club meets to share information on records and approaches for starting or extending participants’ genealogical research. Novices and experienced researchers are both welcome and encouraged to bring records and problems from their own research for discussion.

The coordinator of the club is Ginny Audet. Contact by email: NewtonGenealogyClub@gmail.com.